


Wanting

by LaraDrake



Category: X-Factor (Comics), X-Force (Comics)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-24
Updated: 2009-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-05 05:05:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaraDrake/pseuds/LaraDrake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Set in X-Force times, after the Stecky incident.  Rictor finds himself thinking about Star a lot more sexually than he's used to.  Knows Star needs more social interaction and takes him out for a few, but keeps getting jealous.  Only just coming to terms with his bisexuality but can't deny his attraction to Star.  And maybe Star requests a gay club. :O</p><p>Synopsis: Julio finds himself wanting to be more than friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wanting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tangerine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangerine/gifts).



> I hope this turned out okay. I was nervous when I found out  
> who my recipient was. I admire your writing a lot, Tangerine. I know  
> this one isn't up to my best, but I hope you like it anyway.

Everything had started the night that they went to the club. Julio sat alone, in his room, his eyes closed, remembering the lithe bodies pressed close together, moving in rhythm to the pounding bass. The strobe lights danced across the crowd of people on the dance floor. There were plenty of women, some busty and some leggy, looking for a good time. All of them were wearing low cut dresses that flashed almost too much skin. Julio had been planning to show at least one of them a good time, but he never made it that far. He knew that he should have been paying attention to the lithe little woman pressing herself up against him or the sexy little Asian dancing just a few feet away, but he was more interested in Shatterstar.

The same Shatterstar who was being so awkward with a woman that was trying to get him to dance. All of it was because he had bumped into her and caused her to spill her drink. He just stood there, tall and dark in his well-cut suit, looking down at the woman who put her arms around his neck. He didn't move; he didn't even seem to react to her. His silver eyes shifted to Julio's and in that instant, Julio knew something had changed for both of them.

Or, was it that something had changed just for Julio? Shatterstar had just flicked those silver eyes to him and everything slowed down. Then, suddenly, Shatterstar was leaving and Julio had let him go, watching him disappear down the street, watching every tense part of him move away.

When he'd gotten back and gone to bed, silver eyes and red-gold hair filled his dreams. He imagined that long hair falling into a curtain around him and staring into those silver eyes as they smiled at him. Julio's hands ran down that tense back and around to a taunt, perfect stomach and then slid lower in the dreams he had that night.

A knock sounded at the door and Julio jerked his eyes open, pulling his hand away from where it had been covering his arousal through his jeans. He pushed his hair out of his face and took a deep breath. Star was his friend, not his lover. He shouldn't be thinking about him like he was.

The knock sounded again, harder this time and Julio knew it was Shatterstar. "Madre di Dios," he murmured and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He reached down and adjusted himself. "Come in."

The door opened and Star stepped into the room. "Julio," he said in greeting.

Star stood just inside the room, his bulk filling up the doorway better than Julio's did. Shatterstar always looked so comfortable in his own skin. Now, he stood with his chin up, his hair back into a low, loose ponytail. He was wearing a pair of stylish, ratty jeans and a snug t-shirt. Julio imagined his hands pushing that t-shirt up so that he could run his fingers over Star's abs.

"Julio?" Shatterstar asked. Confusion briefly crossed his features and he stepped closer.

Shaking his head to clear his mind of the images of a shirtless Shatterstar, Julio pushed a smile onto his face. "Hey Star." His eyes drifted down Star's face and to his neck. Julio jerked his gaze back up and his smile turned sheepish.

"I want to know if you would go with me, Julio," Shatterstar said, still standing there so confident. Julio just wanted him to sit down. That way, maybe his eyes wouldn't wander as bad as they wanted to  
now.

"Go where?" To bed, perhaps. Julio wanted to kick his inner voice and felt himself flush.

"The movies. Teresa said there was a movie I would enjoy. It is a samurai movie." Those silver eyes were focused completely on Julio. It only made Julio blush harder as he thought about sitting in the back of a theater with Shatterstar, but he probably wouldn't want to sit there. Star would probably want to sit so close to the screen that Julio's neck would hurt after a half an hour.

Julio looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. He should never have looked down. The bulge in his jean was obvious to him. If it were anyone other than Star, they probably would have noticed already. But, as it was, Shatterstar didn't make any sign that he noticed, or cared, that Julio was hard beneath his jeans. Julio wondered what Star would do if he knew that Julio was hard and, more specifically, hard for him.

His imagination ran away with him, then. Julio was certain that Star would press him back onto his bed and line their bodies up against each other. Chest to chest and thighs to thighs. Julio would feel Star's matching arousal against his own and it would be heaven. They would shed their clothing in minutes and it would just be his naturally tanned skin against Star's perfectly pale flesh.

"Julio?" Star had moved closer, leaning down to try to figure out what was going on.

Julio jerked, falling back on to his elbows as Star didn't move back. He just looked at him questioningly. "Hey, back up a little. Give a guy a little breathing room?" Julio held a hand up and watched as Star  
looked down at it, then back to Julio.

Shatterstar straightened. "I do not understand, Julio. Would you like to go to the movie?"

A little laugh escaped Julio's lips. "I think you need some more 'people' lessons, Star." He sat back up. A light blush still lit his face. Star definitely needed something. At least something to teach him what to do when he was presented with a situation like this. Maybe so he would recognize it next time and jump Julio?

Julio shook his head, chasing that idea from his mind again. Madre di Dios, why couldn't he stop thinking about Star? Well, he used to think of Star alot before, but that was because Star was his best friend. Friends don't think about having wild, crazy, gentle, amazing sex with their best friend, do they?

" 'People' lessons?" Star said. He looked at Julio questioningly. It was a very cute look on Star's perfect features.

Cute? Julio would have gagged had Star not chosen that moment to sit next to him on his bed. They'd sat like this dozens of times, Julio a wreck after a mission or Shatterstar asking a billion questions about Earth and human customs. Cute should have never, in a million years, fit Shatterstar, but in that moment, it seemed perfect.

"Uh, yeah. Like the club the other night." Julio watched Star's face get hard for a moment, the 'cute' effect gone after that brief amount of time. "No, sorry, I mean like the club, but not *like* the club." He rubbed his face. "Just more contact with normal people."

Shatterstar's eyebrows creased and he studied Julio. "You are not normal?"

Julio laughed. "No. Not at all. I mean, like people that aren't mutants, that don't go out and fight the 'bad' guys." His eyes flicked to Shatterstar's and then down to his jaw. Julio forced them back up, trying to focus more on the bridge of Shatterstar's nose than anything else. He'd do anything to keep his mind from taking a short trip back into the realm of fantasy.

Nodding, Star seemed to understand. "When will we begin 'people' lessons then, Julio?"

He scratched his head and then smoothed his dark hair back. "Tonight? We can go out. To a bar this time, not a club." He watched Star.

"If you wish, Julio," Star said and gave his best smile, which was still almost too much teeth, but for Julio, it was a smile that something inside of him wanted to see more often.

=

Julio slouched at the bar, miserable. They'd only been at the bar for about an hour. As soon as they walked in, a woman had walked up to Star and asked to buy him a drink. Star had looked at Julio and Julio had nodded, encouraging him.

But, that was an hour ago and Shatterstar had been hit on more than a handful of times. Each time, Star got better at flirting and talking to the women. Even a man had approached him. Star treated the man no different than the women.

At this point, Star had learned quickly and well enough that when the little blonde with the bright smile came over, he greeted her first and actually offered to buy her a drink.

Julio scowled at the woman as she smiled and hung over Star's arm. Shatterstar was giving her his best smile, with almost the right amount of teeth and enough sincerity that it crinkled his eyes just right. It was the smile Julio wanted to see, inches from his face as his red-gold hair fell in a curtain around them. He wanted to see it right before Star slid inside him.

He took a long swig on his beer, that revelation scared him and made his jealously turn into a cold lump in his stomach. Julio wanted Star inside him? No, that couldn't be right. He stared at his bottle of beer, listening to Star flirt with the girl, Jessica. Julio couldn't want Star like that. He couldn't want Star to be inside him. It was…wrong, not normal.

But, what was normal? Normal for Julio wasn't going out every Friday night with some buddies to hit on some girls, get drunk, and get laid. Chances were he was out fighting some supernatural creature, alien,  
or another mutant. Was that normal? For him, it was. For Star, it was too.

Julio looked over at Star, seeing Jessica waving at Star as she left the bar with some of her friends. He saw the slip of paper in Star's hand. He felt the jealousy rising again. Star was his friend.

Star stood up from his barstool and strode down the bar to Julio. The man couldn't move without turning heads. He was an excellent showman and Julio could practically feel everyone's heads turning to look at Star. Julio swiveled the chair back facing the bar and stared at his beer again.

"Julio," Star said grinning. "I like the bar better than the club." He slid into the barstool right next to Julio, bumping elbows with him. "All of these women gave me 'digits'." The way he said the word 'digits' made Julio think that he had learned it from someone that night. He knew he never taught him that bit of slang. Star reached into his pocket and produced a few of slips of paper, napkins, and  
even a business card. Julio scowled into his beer.

"Good for you, Star," he said, lacking sincerity. Julio took another swig of his beer and set the empty bottle on the bar.

Shatterstar leaned closer, his breath just barely rustling Julio's hair. "Julio, what is wrong? Was getting 'digits' bad?"

Julio wanted to tell him yes, that the only digits Star should be concerned with were Julio's. He didn't, though. He forced a smile and turned to face Star. Julio stopped, catching those silver eyes just like he did that night in the club. The world slowed down and Julio shook his head. His eyes traveled down to Star's lips and stopped.

"Then, what did I do wrong?" Shatterstar's eyes flickered downward also. Julio could have sworn that Shatterstar was looking at his lips too. His body was telling him that Star was giving him 'go ahead' signals.

The bartender stepped over and offered them each another drink. Julio pulled back a little, sitting up straighter. He started to shake his head, when Shatterstar spoke.

"Yes. I would like one for my friend too." He slid money across the bar to the bartender.

Julio watched Star. Okay, so Star had bought him a drink, which he had learned to do from the other people that had flirted with him. Was Star flirting with him, or just buying a drink for his friend? Julio had to know. "Star-"

"Julio, I think 'people lessons' are interesting. They are like television." He nodded, satisfied with his conclusion, and picked up his glass, taking a drink.

"Like TV?" Julio asked.

"Yes. They go to bars on television. It is entertainment."

"Ah," Julio lifted his fresh beer, knowing he was on his way to getting buzzed and possibly even drunk if he had this one.

They sat quietly for a few minutes until Julio felt some pressure at his arm. Shatterstar was leaning into him. "Thank you, Julio."

"De nada, Star. Though, next time I think you better get Terry or Tabs to come with you." Julio didn't know if he could handle wanting Star and watching him flirt with other people.

"No, Julio. I think that next time we will go to a different bar." Star pushed himself off his barstool. "Let us go home. I have had enough 'people lessons' tonight."

Nodding, Julio stood. "You want to go to a different bar next time? There something wrong with his one?" He followed Star outside. He hadn't thought this bar that bad. It was busy enough, but not overly  
crowded.

Star's ponytail bounced over his shoulders as he shook his head. "No. I want to go to a different kind of bar." He stopped to let Julio walk around to the driver's side of the Jeep.

"What? A pub? A sports bar?" Julio turned around to face Star, confused. There had been plenty of women tonight. Star could probably continue to 'learn' from the people he had met and the people he would meet. Their eyes met again and Star stepped forward.

To Julio's surprise, he kept coming. Julio would take an automatic step back and Star would keep coming forward until he had Julio backed against the driver's side door of the Jeep. Star leaned close and stopped.

"Star?" Julio almost squeaked, feeling his body react to the proximity of the source of all his fantasies.

"Julio." Star leaned in and pressed his lips against Julio's.

The kiss was cool, at first, but Julio shut his eyes and nearly melted with the feeling of it. He felt that warming sensation in the pit of his stomach and could feel himself getting harder. With the way they we pressed together, Julio could also feel Star getting harder. The kiss was simple, but it felt like Julio was on fire.

When Star finally pulled away, he studied Julio. "Kissing with you is preferable to someone in that bar, Julio."

Julio nearly gaped at Star. "Wha-what?"

"I like to kiss you. I wanted to do it earlier, but that was not a gay bar. I was not sure if they would allow it." He learned forward again.

Julio tilted his mouth up to him, unconsciously. "You've wanted to kiss me before?"

"Yes. That is why I think we should go to a different kind of bar next time. We should go to a gay bar." Star put his arms around Julio.

"Right. Just, you don't need to kiss me in a gay bar." Julio didn't know if he wanted to kiss in a gay bar, but he was sure of one thing he wanted. Julio wanted to continue to kiss Star.


End file.
